Wake and Bake: Cranberry Orange Cream Biscuits

October 7, 2013

From Sweets

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[Photographs: Carrie Vasios]

One thing I miss about the East Coast is the spectacular displays of fall foliage—the colors that go so far beyond red, orange, and yellow to a veritable Pantone color chart of hues. I have to wonder if these biscuits were a subconscious reaction to that feeling. Within their sweet dough is orange zest and cranberry red and tones of gold to toasted brown.

Because there is no cutting in of butter, just stirring in some heavy cream, these biscuits can pretty much be done in one bowl. The exception is the small bowl you’ll need to accomplish the first step, which is a simple yet effective trick I learned from the Dorie Greenspan. To make the dough more flavorful, rub together the citrus zest with the granulated sugar before combining it with other ingredients. The coarse sugar cuts the zest and releases its essential oils.

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The interiors are tender and fluffy, with a background flavor of sweet orange punctuated by chewy bites of tart cranberries. The outsides get nice and toasty and I recommend them served warm, sliced in two, and spread with pumpkin butter. Then they’ll really look like fall.

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